Can you help me please?

CDEWannaBe · Jan 18, 2012

The timeline is, sadly, pretty normal for an ASN. Takes most students 3-4 years.

You may contact the dean of the math & science department and ask if they will waive the BIO rule and let you take them in the same semester. Also try to take some of your classes in intercession (offered in Dec. and June, between the traditional semesters), as fast track classes (8wk. instead of 16wk. classes) and summer. Most community colleges offer this type of scheduling.

rthompson · Jan 19, 2012

Ok so I am a military wife and as many know with that my "hometown" never stays the same. So I am trying to become a nurse and we just moved to the VA area in Hampton and I have been looking for a good yet inexpensive nursing program to get my RN, and eventually I would like to get my BSN but I want to get my RN first so I can start working and then go to school for my BSN. The school I am looking at attending as of now is Thomas Nelson Community College and they have the pre nursing reqs which are BIO101, BIO141 and ENG111, and then they have a point system for taking BIO102, and BIO 142 before entering nursing program(which is competitive). But the problem is that you can only take one BIO class per semester which puts me at 2 years just for pre reqs and then hopefully I get into the program for another two years of the program. So thats 4 years to get my RN, is that normal timeframe? I have attended another University in another state for general education and so some of my credits may transfer but I never took BIO... I am just worried about how long it will take to get my RN and then if we move to another state will it transfer, can I use my RN in a new state or will I have to retake all my classes? Any info would help..

I just am not sure if going to a University for my BSN is a faster way than taking 4 years to get my AAS in Nursing... as well as the transfer of my license to other states?

Griffin123 · Jan 19, 2012

Any school that offers a BSN should post their curriculum on their website so it should be easy to compare which will take longer. As far as nursing goes (and I say this with the disclaimer that I am not a nurse, just a student like you) I believe once you have your RN degree you will be eligible to apply for a license in any state you travel to (it will likely involve a test and a few $$).

And yes,the term associate degree can be a little misleading. It is generally thought that an associate degree is a two year degree. And they're right (kind of). That is to say, if you don't mind taking 15-20 credit hour semesters you will get it in two years (if you make good grades in all classes). Some schools make it difficult to get the degree quickly (perhaps because some of the science classes tend to wash a lot of folks out).

My advice: Making good grades > finishing quickly. Even though you move around a lot the prerequisites for nursing are fairly standard across the country. I'm sure there's minor differences here and there but it generally involves Anatomy 1, Anatomy 2, Microbiology, a math, an English, and "fluff". Most of the differences between nursing programs are going to be in the "fluff" category. Some schools might want speech, others might want another science. My recommendation would be to take the prerequisites for an associates degree and then decide if your going to be in that state long enough to finish the associates. If you are not going to be there long enough, consider waiting until your next move to try to get into a program in that state.

I also wanted to tell you that my parents were in the military and I can definitely understand the moving all the time thing. Keep pursuing your goal. I think it will be worth every bit of the effort you put into it.